Increasing numbers of miRNAs have been observed as oncogenes or tumor suppressors in colorectal cancer (CRC). It was recently reported that hsa-miR-106b-5p (miR-106b) promoted CRC cell migration and invasion. However, there were also studies showing contradictory results. Therefore, in the present study, we further explore the role of miR-106b and its downstream networks in the carcinogenesis of CRC. We observed that the expression of miR-106b is significantly increased in Pan-Cancer and CRC tissues compared with normal tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Furthermore, we used Transwell, Cell Counting Kit-8, and colony formation assays to clarify that miR-106b promotes the migratory, invasive, and proliferative abilities of CRC cells. For the first time, we systematically screened the target mRNAs and lncRNAs of miR-106b using TCGA database and the bioinformatics algorithms. Dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that NR2F2-AS1 and PLEKHO2 are the direct targets of miR-106b. Furthermore, NR2F2-AS1 acts as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to regulate PLEKHO2 expression by sponging miR-106b. The results of Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and Western blot indicated that they play important roles in CRC progression by regulating MAPK pathway. Thus, miR-106b/NR2F2-AS1/PLEKHO2/MAPK signaling axis may suggest the potential usage in CRC treatment.
Keywords: NR2F2-AS1; PLEKHO2; colorectal cancer; miR-106b; migration.